News
19 October, 2025
Restumping 71 years of RSL foundations
The Esk RSL Sub Branch’s Diggers Memorial Hall is being restumped for the first time in 71 years, with works beginning on October 7.
The hall, originally placed in Esk in 1954, has stood on its original wooden stumps, which, while still in fair condition, have begun to subside due to environmental factors.
Over the years, the hall has seen numerous improvements and updates, primarily carried out by RSL members and the local community. In August 2024, a successful application to the Queensland Remembers Grants Programme provided funds to undertake the restumping project. Occasional professional works have also been carried out previously, funded by members and community support.
The Esk RSL has a rich history dating back to the 1920s, officially chartered on December 29, 1926, as part of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia (Queensland). From 1947, meetings were held at the Lyceum Hall in Esk, and the RSL actively organised camp drafts and annual races.
In August 1948, a building fund was started with 300 pounds invested in bonds. By February 1954, a building committee assessed the suitability of Collins Ranch for conversion into a clubhouse. In May 1954, Thwaites Ranch at Somerset Dam was identified as suitable, with a proposed tender of 400 pounds. The plan evolved in June to submit a tender of 300 pounds for Thwaites Ranch alone, with a separate tender of 500 pounds for both Thwaites Ranch and the Cooperative Ranch. In July 1954, the Stanley River Works Board accepted the 500-pound tender for both buildings.
The structures were dismantled, relocated, and reassembled in Esk, with the project completed on September 6, 1954. The clubhouse, officially named Diggers Memorial Hall, was inaugurated on April 16, 1955, by Sir Raymond Huish, Queensland State President of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia.
